1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cord stopper for fastening and adjusting in length a cord used on clothes, baggages, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical cord stopper of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 59-78475. The disclosed cord stopper comprises a cylindrical socket having a blind bore, a plug fitted into the blind bore and a biasing means disposed between the bottom of the blind bore and the plug and adapted to urge the plug outward. The cylindrical socket has a pair of opposed through holes formed through its periphery normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. The plug has a through aperture formed normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. which hole is adapted for alignment with the through holes of the cylindrical socket when the plug is thrust into the socket. In use, the plug is thrust into the socket against the bias of the biasing means until the through aperture of the plug comes into alignment with the through openings of the socket. Then, a cord is threaded through the through holes and the through aperture of the socket and the plug, respectively. Subsequently, release of the force from the plug will cause the plug to tend to pop out of the socket under the bias of the biasing means, so that the cord is resiliently clamped between the edges of the through holes of the socket and the through aperture of the plug.
However, the conventional cord stopper suffers some drawbacks.
For one thing, the small biasing means capable of being housed in the cylindrical socket is limited in biasing power, so that the biasing means does not provide sufficient cord-retaining force.
Furthermore, threading of the cord through the cord stopper requires bringing the through holes of the socket and the through aperture of the plug into alignment with each other and then keeping them in alignment throughout the threading operation. This requires dexterity on the part of the user. The cord-threading operation is very difficult.
Still furthermore, the plug is partly projected beyond the socket under the bias of the biasing means, which renders the cord stopper as a whole to look unsightly. If the thinner cord is used, the more the plug projects beyond the socket and the more unsightly the cord stopper is.